Meet Your New Road
by Alithea
Summary: Lucrezia Noin has been hiding from the world, and a slight push from different directions lead her out of isolation. A sort of sequel to Dare Shall Be Carried.


**Title: Meet Your New Road  
Rating: PG-13  
Characters are not mine I am just borrowing.  
A/N: In the same universe as Dare Shall Be Carried and In My Way There's You.**

On Sundays Lucrezia Noin slept in, typically waking at noon to make up for all the late nights she had worked during the week. The frontier colony she was located on took a lot of work, and the forming of a resource satellite close to it was the sort of project that was a miniature nightmare. Noin was the senior Preventor officer in that nook of the galaxy, and while there wasn't much in the way of espionage going on there were plenty of ways that the miniscule Preventor unit there could help the community.

The communication from earth had come in around nine in the morning, and Noin had looked at the clock with irritation before sitting up and turning on the com channel. Zechs blinked back at her from the monitor and she grinned sleepily until she noticed the impressive black eye he was sporting.

"What happened to you?" She asked and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"It isn't important." He replied.

"Like hell it isn't." The color on her monitor was vivd and it was disturbing to think that someone could get such a good shot on someone like Zechs. "I was sleeping," she mentioned. "It's Sunday."

"I know." He grimaced and then asked, "How long?"

"You know I don't just sit up here at the end of the galaxy counting the minutes and days until you call me." She sighed and then said, "Six months, and two days."

Zechs grinned.

"Who hit you?" She asked again.

"Sally."

"What did you do to her?"

"Nothing."

Noin arched an eyebrow and then asked, "What did you do to one of her favorite people?"

Zechs shook his head. "Nothing."

She nodded. "Well, depending on the situation…And you aren't ever going to give me details…I suppose nothing would warrant a punch in the face." She looked over at the clock and then asked, "What can I do for you, Zechs?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to talk to you."

"As I may have previously mentioned, one word answers to questions isn't talking."

Zechs nodded. "Have you considered coming back? It's been… What…Three years now?"

"Two and a half," she said automatically, and then cursed herself for knowing, but she always knew. If Sally called her, or any other of her friends, Noin would likely be able to recite the time perfectly as well. "Is that your way of saying you'd like to see me in person?"

"No. I just think you should remember to take leave every so often." He said solidly. "Burring yourself in your work isn't going to change things."

She scowled. "I'm not buried."

He nodded.

"I'll think about it," Noin said softly.

"Good. You should get back to sleep."

She nodded and then ended the communication. Noin flopped onto her pillow for a second and then sprang up out of bed. She wasn't going to be able to get back to sleep.

****

Noin, like many other people, had trouble with seeing Sally wear her scars as valiantly as she did. The eye patch, that hid scars Noin would never be privileged to see, was an unpardonable offense, as was the scar along Sally's jaw that was, thankfully, fading. Still through it all Sally had that lovely smile on her face, which meant she was happy, and if not, then at least enjoying life.

The video feed on the shuttle monitor was horrible, but it would do. Noin could still read nuances through the static. "About Zechs-"

"I punched him," Sally said softly, adding, "and the long and short of it is, he deserved it, and I'm on two months probation."

"Steep punishment," Noin stated, and then grinned. "She can't go easy on you, can she?"

"I'd give her hell if she did." Sally tilted her head and the image of her distorted. She grinned slightly and said, "You're close. I can tell because you've entered the range of Jupiter where the signals get awful. I'm surprised."

"I'm making a visit," Noin said.

"Because I hit him?"

"No. I just…" She shook her head. "I need to remember to take vacations is all."

"Right." Sally brushed a strand of hair from her face. "I hit him, because he made me angry and I lost my temper."

A grin tugged at the corner of her mouth. "You were defending someone," Noin said softly, "someone who probably doesn't need your defense."

"Quite likely, but that isn't the point."

"Oh?"

Sally nodded. "Go somewhere beautiful, Noin. Don't skirt around near headquarters."

"We'll see."

"Yes, we'll see you not take my advice, like always."

****

Zechs had disappeared on a mission and it didn't surprise Noin that he would vanish knowing that she was going to be in the area. It wasn't as if she hadn't done just about the same thing, except she had done it to Sally, and that may have been worse. In fact she knew it was, but, Zechs or Sally, there was no fixing the things that were broken there. She had made her choices and when she finally figured out that her choice had been wrong, Sally had been swooped up by Lady Une.

She sighed and began to unpack her luggage in the solid drawers of her hotel room. It was moderately priced and located close to Preventor headquarters. She knew she should have listened to Sally, but there wasn't anywhere else on earth she wanted to be. She'd grown accustomed to being a solitary figure, and the only comfort she could garner was in being within close approximation of those she loved, but not actually with them. She wasn't going to call Sally and Une up and ask to go out for drinks. And Zechs, well, God only knew where he had flown off to.

Once all her clothes had been put away she sat down at the desk in the room and on the hotel stationary wrote out a few letters. She placed each letter in an envelope, addressed them, and then hid them away within the desk drawers where they would likely sit until someone threw them away. She had only done it as a sort of therapy, failed therapy, but therapy nonetheless.

After she was done she flipped through the channels on the television and then took a long and very hot shower.

She dressed in a purple suit and wandered down to the hotel bar before deciding she didn't want to be that pathetic. So she acquired a cab and took herself out to a nice restaurant where she was recognized by two people she wasn't sure how to deal with after having been away for so long.

****

"Doesn't she look good," Quatre beamed.

Dorothy grinned, "She does. We should take her shopping."

"Really?" Quatre titled his head just so and eyed Noin's outfit. "I mean, it doesn't seem like the kind of-"

"Really, Quatre darling, it would be so much fun." Dorothy interrupted.

Noin sighed and stared at her steak. On the one hand there was Quatre who seemed to love everything she did, and on the other was Dorothy who was flirting at the same time she was nit picking everything about Noin. And, if Noin remembered correctly, that was exactly how Dorothy Catalonia did flirt. She wanted to find a decent way out of their company. She really did like Quatre. He was a charming boy, and that was always going to be the problem. Noin would always see him as a boy. Dorothy was attractive, but there was too much that Noin hadn't exactly forgiving her for yet.

Despite all this, Noin found herself accepting the offer to go shopping. She was terrible about picking out outfits, and it would be a mild distraction from anything else she might manage to do. She should have gone to some tropical paradise and lounged on the beach, why didn't she ever listen to Sally's suggestions?

The next day, around noon, Lucrezia Noin had gotten a trim, and was trailing behind Dorothy and Quatre with two large bags of new clothes, and matching shoes. They had lunch at an upscale bistro and then it began again, the compliments and the playful barbs. She decided to decline the offer for dinner and went back to her hotel with her new things.

She sat on the bed and cried for an hour, and then she fell asleep.

****

Noin woke hours later to the phone ringing. She reached out a hand and picked up the receiver.

"Hey, sweetie."

She blinked. "Cathy?"

"Hey, you remember." Cathy chuckled. "I heard you were earth bound for a few weeks, or months, or whatever time you actually took off. I thought I had better call you and say hello since…Well, the circus is in town."

Noin sat up in bed and looked around her dark room. She glanced at the clock, but didn't register the time. "Thanks," Noin said.

"You sound like you were asleep. Got jet lag?"

"I was asleep. I don't have jet lag, just…people lag," Noin confessed.

"This is why you need to get out more often," Cathy said, chiding but comforting. "I know a place that my brother hangs around. You'd like it."

"Would I?" She shut her eyes. "I'm not sure I can take any more…people today."

"Who on earth did you run into?"

"I had lunch with Dorothy Catalonia and Quatre." She said. She tried looking at the clock again. It was earlier than she expected it to be.

"Cat's sweet," Cathy said. "I don't know Dorothy."

"You'd remember." Noin stated.

"Lucy," Cathy said, being the only person Noin had ever met who had insisted on the nickname. "Lucy, listen, you need to get up, get dressed, and get out of your hotel. I know you like your cave, but your cave isn't giving you anything."

"I know, but-"

"Lucrezia…I'm meeting my brother and his friend at a bar. You are coming with me. I will send Trowa after you if you don't say yes." Cathy's smile could be felt over the phone.

"Okay," Noin sighed. "Okay."

****

The directions to the bar were odd, but when Noin reached the point where the directions said, "Turn left down unexpected alley," they were indeed accurate. Down the alley, and nestled precariously between two other buildings there was a bar that looked smaller outside than it actually was. The place itself was simultaneously decorated for Mardi Gras and Valentine's day, and purple, yellow, and green feathered masks clashed desperately with pink and red heart and cupid shapes.

Noin went to the bar first and surveyed the top shelf before settling on a cheaper well drink. It was a Screwdriver, vodka and orange juice, and it was meant to serve as a reminder. She held it lightly and searched for Cathy, but found Trowa. He nodded at her and ushered her over to the pool table he was occupying with a rugged looking man that Noin felt she should know. The introduction of the name left her more certain, but he clearly knew who she was. The disadvantage was almost a welcome relief until someone mentioned Zechs.

Her drink was a crutch in her hand that she didn't want to loose. She took light sips and stood back to watch Trowa and Nichol play a game of eight ball, smiling when they argued over the rules. Cathy arrived shortly after in a flurry of waving arms and hugs that Noin didn't know what to do with. Cathy took up Nichol's spot at the pool table and the siblings played without argument while Noin and Nichol watched.

"So, did he run from you too," Noin asked softly and out of the blue.

"What?" Nichol blinked and then shook his head. "He and I were never-"

Noin shrugged. "That doesn't exactly matter. He has this habit of…" She trailed off and looked Nichol over. She shook her head. "I'm sorry. This isn't a good conversation for us to have. I…I've completely lost all sense of proper human interaction."

"I didn't think that the colony you were on was that poorly inhabited." Nichol grinned and shook the ice around in his glass before taking a drink.

"I don't get out much," Noin offered. "I'm usually stuck in my office."

"Ah." He leaned closer and then said, "I suppose he did run from me. What's your theory?"

"On what?"

"His general psychosis."

Noin looked into the light orange depths of her glass and then said, "He's afraid he'll destroy anything he gets too close to. He does the same thing with his sister."

"And you."

She nodded. "And, now, you too."

Noin glanced up and over at what her companions considered The Infamous Jukebox. She wandered over to it and looked at the selections. Nichol had followed her, but she didn't realize it until she selected a song and bumped into him as she turned to rejoin the group.

"Want to dance?" Nichol asked.

"I don't really do that," Noin replied.

Nichol considered the answer and then nodded. He wandered back over to the pool table.

Noin took a deep breath and found a seat at an empty table. Cathy found her and sat down with a bright smile.

"How are you holding up?" Cathy asked.

"I feel…I think I just had a brush with the competition," Noin replied. She looked at her drink and then pushed it away.

"Oh." Cathy grimaced and then leaned over the table resting her chin in her upturned palm. "I thought you'd given up on him."

Noin blinked and then sighed. "I had. I just…I just hadn't realized- But it doesn't matter. I mean, it's…I think I need a new drink."

"You need a real vacation, Lucy." Cathy said. "Why did you come here?" She sat up and held out her hand touching Noin's lips. "No, don't tell me. I know, but you knew better."

Noin nodded, and Cathy pulled her hand back.

"Sally told me I should go somewhere beautiful."

"She was right, and it isn't too terribly late to alter your plans." She smiled faintly and shook her head. "Oh, Lucy, you do have to stop torturing yourself."

"Do I?"

"Yes. Now, come dance with me, and then I'll see who I can set you up with."

"What?"

Cathy grinned broadly. "You need a life, Lucy. First thing's first though."

*****

Lucrezia Noin leaned on the balcony railing and watched as the sun came up over the horizon. The small room of the bed and breakfast looked out over the delta, and seeing the sky in such lovely pink-orange and purple-blue hues left her with a sensation of deep calm. She had nearly forgotten how beautiful the place could be. She had been once before when she was younger, perhaps ten or eight. Her father liked to fish and the out of the way stretch of California waters were perfect for his level of skill.

She had spent the evening at a local bar listening to people tell stories about the past. Listening to the history, the reforming of the levies, the salvation of the delta itself after a large earthquake had threatened its waters. And she was revived by the simple and steady conversation.

Alone in that place she understood why Sally and Cathy had wanted her to go somewhere beautiful. Beauty didn't have to be tropical or exotic, filled with tourists and social expectations. Noin appreciated the time alone that wasn't time spent in hiding. She wasn't running. She was reclaiming herself and remembering the scent of fresh air.

From inside her room the primitive com beeped and she sighed, slowly turning from the view. She sat down in the chair and flipped on the monitor. It slowly revealed the image of the caller and she grinned.

"You're up?" Zechs asked.

"Yes, I was just about to head to bed."

"I see." He looked as if he might grin, but he didn't. "Do you want company?"

"No."

"Oh."

"Zechs?"

"Yes, Noin."

"Stop hiding behind missions and go spend some time with your sister." She flipped the com off and stepped over to her bed. She looked at the clock and closed her eyes, finally knowing where it was she wanted to be going.

End.


End file.
